March Updates from Sierra Leone

In Sierra Leone, work on the Bethel Home continues as Pastor Sonnel and his team work hard to get the home ready for orphans and expectant mothers. The plumbing has been put in, and bathrooms are taking shape. Details inside are continuing to come together! While the empty rooms and halls now echo with the sound of hammers and saws, the home almost seems to be waiting for the day when it will be full of the joyful sound of children’s laughter.

Work also continues on the outside of the home, where the shiny-white paint peeks through scaffolding as the walls are prepared. With its detailed banisters and graceful windows, the Bethel Home will be as beautiful and welcoming on the outside as it is on the inside!

The Bethel Home will house orphans from the slums, but it will also serve as a safe place for mothers to give birth. The birthing rooms are being worked on as well, and a ramp has been installed leading to the rooms. The birthing rooms will be clean and safe, and will provide a gentle and peaceful place for mothers to give birth and enjoy those precious first days with their newborns.

Another wonderful thing about the Bethel Home is the view…breathtaking! Residents and visitors will be able to spend quiet time in prayer and reflection on the gracious balconies, overlooking a view that gives glory to God. We are praying that this home will be a safe place, welcoming to all. A home that will always be associated in the hearts of those who spend time there as a place where the love of Christ abounds and peace reigns, a place where the family of Christ gathers together to provide one another with comfort, love, and shelter.

In the Villages

In the villages of Sierra Leone, The Lulu Tree continues to support orphans by equipping their remaining family members to care for the children in their home villages (and, when no family is available, by finding a friend or neighbor who is able to add them to their home). By doing this, families are kept together and the children are able to stay in their communities, where they maintain the connections they had before they lost their parents. Family members and villagers who agree to take in orphaned children are supported by our Lulu family, so that the burden of taking on another child does not cause anyone to go hungry, and pastors check in on these families frequently to make sure that they are safe and well cared for. The children are thriving, and the villages are learning that they have the ability to care for their most vulnerable members…a lesson that can benefit the entire village for generations to come. They also received school fees and uniforms this year! They are so excited to be going to school, in their own new uniforms. What a blessing!

Part of the program in the villages is that the orphans also receive mentoring from the local pastor, Pastor Ezekiel, and from our Lulu Children’s Director Daniel Kamara, who visits the village often. These children know that they have men of God looking after their best interests, discipling them as they grow in their faith.

Progress from Power Tools

The Lulu Tree was able to provide a power saw to the village in Sierra Leone, and that saw has been put to good use! Benches are being made for the school, which has not had enough seating for the students. What a blessing to know that as God continues to provide for more and more children to be able to attend school, more and more benches can now be made! What a difference a simple power tool can make in so many lives.

And speaking of power tools, we are continuing to step out in faith and search for a tractor for our Lulu farm. It is almost impossible to put into words how important a tractor is for the farm and the people of the village. Owning a tractor will make a world of difference for our Lulu family. With a tractor, they will be able to grow many times more food and will be able to produce a surplus! Rather than barely getting by with enough to feed the families, a surplus means food that can be stored for emergencies and for the “famine times” that happen each year. A surplus that allows food to be sold will also provide for school fees, medical supplies, farm animals and other important equipment, which will help build the entire community. It will also mean that Lulu’s villages will eventually have the resources to be able to help neighboring villages begin to build the same stability in their communities! We are praising God that partial funding has already been given, and are trusting Him to provide the rest.

Prayer Requests

On March 20th, a team from North America will be travelling to Uganda to help with an outreach. Please pray for traveling mercies for each member of the team, as well as the health and safety of their families back home.

The outreach in Uganda is being held at a large refugee camp, where medical care is very scarce and the need is very great. Please pray with us that many Mama Kits will be handed out, and that each mother who receives one will have a safe and healthy childbirth. Pray that the mothers will receive Christ’s salvation along with the kits, and that their babies will be healthy and strong.

Please continue to pray for the construction of the Bethel Home, that the work will continue to go smoothly and the home will soon be open.

Pray for the funding of the Lulu tractor, that it will be a blessing to the farm for many years to come.

Pray for the orphans in the village and the families who they live with, that they will knit into family and community and be an example of the way the Lord adopts each of us into his family.

New Family Albums

The new Lulu Tree Family Albums are here! Below are pages from the Sierra Leone album. If you would like to print this album out and pray over each of the family members, you can access the album HERE or click any of the pictures to download a PDF file. The albums are a wonderful way to learn more about the people of The Lulu Tree!

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